Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 108

Get ready for Ginny!!! :)

Auriga bit her lip nervously as she waited at the front door with everyone else. "Under no circumstances should you be seen," said Auriga. "Even if you are all disguised, it looks suspicious if you apparate straight onto the train."

"We know, dear," said Molly soothingly, having taken the polyjuice potion of an old muggle woman.

"And do you remember the code phrase we told her in the letter?" asked Auriga. Remus placed a hand on her shoulder, telling her to calm down a little. She sighed, noticing Arthur's fiddling fingers and the way Tonks's eyes kept darting to Lee.

"We'll say, 'The best way to eat a sandwich'," began Tonks. "And then Ginny will reply with, 'Is washing it down with a butterbeer'."

"So random," whispered Lee from behind them.

"That's the point," snapped Auriga. She turned back to Tonks, Arthur and Molly, each of them disguised. "Don't forget, you can't disapparate until exactly seven o'clock when the train pulls into the station, otherwise-"

"We'll end up on the tracks," finished Tonks gently. "You've told us a million times, Auriga."

"Alright then," she said with a glance at her watch. "Off you go." They shuffled out the door, hoods up and wands ready, but Auriga was confident they'd be fine around here. Remus closed the door gently behind them.

Fred and George made their way upstairs with Lee, all three of them looking nervous and forcing smiles. Remus took Auriga's hand and they followed Sirius into the downstairs living room. Auriga sat expectantly by the window, looking out and waiting. They'd be twenty minutes, tops. They were going to apparate to the very end of the train and wait for Ginny, before apparating with her to some muggle street in London, and apparating again to Oakenmore Way.

Sirius sighed. "Can you be quiet?" snapped Auriga, not tearing her eyes away from the road. Remus snorted. "Something funny?" she asked.

"No, no," said Remus, casually flicking through a book he'd read a thousand times. "Just...can you imagine doing this waiting for sixteen hours straight?"

Sirius mock shuddered. "Sounds like a nightmare, Moony," he agreed. "Let's hope it never happens to us."

"I don't know how I'd cope," said Remus, folding his book away. "I mean, look at the state of our Auriga, and they've been gone...?"

"Three minutes and forty-six seconds," said Sirius, checking his watch. Auriga threw a cushion at Sirius before stepping over to Remus and cuddling up to him.

"Hate you," she murmured, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hate you too," he whispered back. She could feel him smiling.

"How is that fair?" asked Sirius, sounding astounded. "I get a cushion to the face and you get a cuddle!"

"Not trying to steal my girlfriend are we, Pads?" joked Remus.

Sirius threw up his thumbs pointing at himself. "Gay as a puckwudgie!" he shouted.

"Good to know, darling!" came the cry of Fred or George's voice down the stairs.

"Apart from that," said Auriga, wondering why she had to keep reminding everyone of this, "He's my mother's cousin."

"Well, you know," said Remus absentmindedly, "Sometimes the inbreeding in itself is genetic."

Auriga couldn't help but laugh, and soon enough there was a knock at the door. She launched from her seat, drawing her wand and flinging the door open. Her wand tip was inches from the face of Ginny Weasley, who gasped and drew her own. "Treacle Tart," said Tonks quickly, who had resumed her usual form. According to Auriga's calculations, Molly and Arthur would be back to their usual selves in no more than five minutes.

Auriga lowered her wand and ushered them inside. Remus offered to take her trunk upstairs for her as Lee, Fred, and George came bounding down the stairs. "Into the kitchen, Ginny, quickly," said Molly, ushering her forward.

"All fine?" Auriga asked Tonks as they followed everyone else through.

"Fine," Tonks said, sounding reluctant. "Crawling with Death Eaters and Ministry folk. It's a good job you suggested apparating straight to the train otherwise we'd have been inspected like everyone else."

Auriga raised her eyebrows. "They were doing inspections?" she asked, wide-eyed. Tonks only nodded as they took their seats around Ginny at the kitchen table, eager for news about Hogwarts. Auriga hadn't seen much while she'd been there.

"Thanks for the letter, Professor," said Ginny between mouthfuls of lasagne.

"It's no problem," said Auriga with a smile. "And Auriga's fine."

"So what's been going on over there, Sis?" asked Fred, picking at a bit of cheese. Ginny slapped his hand away.

"Not much," she said with a shrug. "Stricter detentions and the like. Defence has turned into just the Dark Arts, but I think that's got more to do with the Carrows' lack of qualifications."

"The Carrows?" scoffed Auriga, looking around. "They couldn't tell a kappa from a kelpie! Who made them professors?"

"Snape," spat Ginny, her tone dripping with loathing. Sirius shuddered involuntary.

"When we finally win this damn war," he said, looking bitter. "I'm calling dibs."

"I think Neville might beat you to it," said Ginny with a grin.

"Longbottom?" asked Auriga and Remus at the same time. Ginny nodded. "I knew it," they chorused.

"You were our two best Defence teachers," said George. Auriga felt her face go hot, and saw Remus was blushing too.

"If only you hadn't abandoned us," Fred added wistfully.

"I remember that!" Ginny said suddenly. "You came back covered in blood and soot! The whole school was talking about it!"

"Did you burn down the Carrow Mansion?" asked Lee.

"Oh...well, it was actually more of a manor," said Auriga, fiddling with her nail beds.

"Saved good ol' Moony's life in the process," Sirius said adoringly. Remus thumped him playfully.

"So...Tonks?" asked Ginny, placing her knife and fork down and folding her hands. "Was I right, or was I right?"

Tonks, who had been awfully quiet, turned scarlet. "She didn't actually die," she mumbled, digging in her pockets and handing Ginny a fat gold galleon.

"What were you right about?" asked Auriga with an amused frown.

"Oh, nothing," said Ginny. "I just suggested that it would take one of you coming back from the dead for you two to get back together, and Tonks thought she fancied the odds. Not sure how sober you were there."

"Ginny!" exclaimed Molly, to much giggling.

"Do you frequently bet on your ex-teachers' relationships, Gin?" asked George. And with impeccable aim, Ginny managed to aim a tomato to hit him right in the hole where his ear had once been.